“We are here to help, support and encourage each other,” said Mike O’Donnell, chief talent officer at Khoros.
For O’Donnell, supporting employees means cultivating a culture of learning. And that’s especially important, as team collaboration plays a key role in employee retention. According to Gusto, 54 percent of employees say a strong sense of community (great co-workers, celebrating milestones, a common mission) kept them at a company longer than they would have stayed otherwise.
For jobseekers looking for career advancement and a sense of community, look no further. The following San Francisco tech professionals told us which traits they look for in new hires, as well as what unites teammates in the office.
What they do: Brex’s fintech tools are built to help companies grow. With their products, customers have control over how they save, spend and borrow, and can focus more time on the “big picture.” Powered by Mastercard, their corporate card offers fraud protection and instant approvals.
One thing that would surprise people about Brex: “People outside Brex are always surprised by how passionate we are about fintech,” said VP, People Strategy, Carmen Collyns. “Feeling and understanding a customer’s financial issues, then building product to smooth those issues is a common theme across Brex no matter your role. One way that we continue to build our customer-focused culture is by hosting weekly all-hands and fireside chats. Hearing firsthand from founders and users builds a deep understanding of our product's impact, and reinforces our collective understanding of the ‘why’ behind our vision.”
People outside Brex are always surprised by how passionate we are about fintech.”
One trait all team members share: “We all have a shared love for data and analysis. Whether we’re working on projects together, brainstorming on new processes, or helping out a teammate, we lean on numbers as a guidepost to our decision-making and measure of impact,” said Collyns. “When we approach our quarterly planning sessions for the company, we leverage our headcount projections together with estimates of magnitude, frequency and type of task to identify when and how our operating model will need tweaking. It helps the team be more proactive, rather than reactive, in our work.
“Beyond that,” added Collyns, “keeping a pulse on our culture as we scale is crucial, and we leverage data wherever possible to understand how our teams are feeling. CultureAmp, our engagement and feedback platform, is a key source of data that we use to investigate hypotheses and prioritize various initiatives.”
What they do: Khoros’ customer engagement platform is designed to help companies grow their businesses. Their software helps streamline marketing and social media, boost customer satisfaction and increase digital engagement. Clients include Sephora, PayPal, Symantec and more.
One thing that would surprise people about Khoros: “You don’t have to have a background in our field to become a part of our Khoros team,” said Chief Talent Officer Mike O’Donnell. “We have people that come from all different backgrounds, from teachers to retail associates to retired military veterans. We have created a culture of learning, which provides our team members with rigorous onboarding and continuous learning programs that make it possible for everyone at Khoros to learn, grow and develop their skills.”
You don’t have to have a background in our field to become a part of our Khoros team.”
One trait all team members share: “A passion and focus on being one team,” said O’Donnell. “It is so important to us that it’s even ingrained as one of our core values. In everything that we do, we are here to help, support and encourage each other, which in turn, makes the best experience possible for our customers and our teams.”
